Daphna Gelbart

Trustees advocate for the best possible education for students. I believe that education is more than what is taught between the first and last school bell – education is also the overall learning environment and opportunities available to students. As a trustee I will be focussed on students, making education in SD61 as good as it can be. I want to be a strong voice for students, families, teachers, and communities. I also think that resources for schools should be stable and predictable.

I decided to run when members of the queer community put out a call to action for progressive candidates. Across Canada, organized slates of “family values” candidates are threatening social progress, sometimes subtly and sometimes with overt transphobia.

I am also deeply concerned about the lack of Covid-19 mitigation measures in schools. Given the known risks of both Covid-19 infection and reinfection, keeping students and staff safe should be an immediate priority.

I am doing the work to decolonize my mind and heart. My role is to listen with humility and draw attention to implicit colonial biases and mindsets during our board deliberations. I am committed to listening and doing what I can to act in meaningful ways on the recommendations of the Four Houses.

I don’t know that I am able to ensure that we are culturally responsive to Indigenous students and their families, but I will try; by attending events in Indigenous community that I am invited to and reviewing current practices and future recommendations through a lens of decolonization. I also know that there are things that I can do as a person to make the School Board of SD61 more culturally safe. As all settlers, I have a lot to learn, and I am committed to doing the work. 

Addressing exclusion requires a willingness to change our way of doing things to make schools and the board accessible and inclusive. This requires listening to people with lived experience to understand the barriers they face, and then taking specific actions to actively promote inclusion. Shifting culture takes time, and welcoming people with lived experiences really helps create inclusive spaces.

I believe that health and sexual education should be part of students’ education. Many parents are uncomfortable discussing health and sexual health with their children. Sex education provides accurate information for all students, so that they have a better understanding of themselves and their bodies. I support the sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) curriculum in addition to sexual health education, as SOGI gives students the language they need to understand themselves and their peers, and makes schools safer for queer and gender diverse students.  

Community and stakeholder engagement means actively listening to the users of school programs and the broader community to understand their views and experiences. It is the users of school programs who understand what is gained or lost through changes to funding, programming, and staffing.

It’s critical to reflect on how we engage. Are engagement opportunities accessible to people with disabilities? To shift workers? To single parents? To non-English and non-French speakers? As a trustee, I commit to evidence-based decision-making. Engagement is a crucial part of that evidence. 

I think the biggest challenges facing the school board are rebuilding trust with the community and the Four Houses; upholding the quality of education in SD61 with decreasing provincial funding; ensuring equitable learning opportunities. We need to get Indigenous graduation rates up and make our schools places where Indigenous students are safe and welcome. I am running to be a vocal supporter and leader in supporting SOGI, Covid safety, and climate mitigation – despite the unpopularity of these issues with a vocal minority.

As a trustee, every action I take is an opportunity to rebuild trust through open, transparent communication and listening. Upholding the quality of education in SD61 in the face of inadequate funding is an impossible task – and I believe the board must be willing to push back against the requirement to make extreme cuts, and continue to advocate for increased funding. 

I don’t believe it’s possible for the board to address looming deficits without compromising the quality of education in SD61. It is essential that the board examine all of SD61’s spending, and identify any areas where spending is unnecessary, as well as opportunities to raise revenues through community partnerships. This puts SD61 in a position of saying we did our part, and now the province can do theirs. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the province to adequately fund education. The best way to advocate to the province for more money is to provide an analysis of why existing funding is inadequate, how cuts will compromise student success, and what is required to fix it.

I believe that arts education is part of the core curriculum, and that – like sports – exploring arts beyond the core (e.g., through choirs and bands) should be part of the broader offerings available to students as part of their education. I believe arts and sports should be as low-barrier as possible to ensure students can participate without worrying about the cost. I do not support reducing arts education in elementary and middle schools. Providing arts education elementary and middle schools provides opportunities to students at a crucial time for developing skills and interests. Arts education is critical, and it shouldn’t be the first cut. As a trustee I will do what I can to find creative solutions to funding shortfalls, working with the community and the province to ensure the best for our students.

I am a positive and energetic person, and I have a perennially positive outlook. I understand that educating young people is something that we all have very strong opinions about. I believe that by being a strong voice for what students are telling us that they need, I can reduce conflict. I know that everyone who is running for school board deeply cares about the wellbeing of the students of SD61, although we disagree on what that looks like. I believe that prioritizing evidence and bringing my professional skills of stakeholder engagement, critical analysis, and collaboration will make me a productive member of the Board. Differences of opinion are a given, but I know how to handle tough conversations with grace and professionalism.